This invention describes a pinball game having active target members. The target members move across a playing surface in response to being struck by an object, such as a metal ball.
Pinball games have been and still currently are very fascinating to a certain segment of the population. Penny arcade or bar-room type pinball games are quite sophisticated in employing both mechanical and electrical components to dazzle and stimulate their operators. Generally, these games are too sophisticated and/or they are located out of the environment of the younger child. The younger child, however, still finds enjoyment in playing these games. To this end, small scale or child-oriented pinball games have been developed.
Normally the child-type pinball game utilizes a plurality of depressions, holes or the like located in a playing surface which the child uses as a target for a plurality of objects, it being the express purpose of the game to locate one object in each hole of the depression. This does not offer the stimulation and/or fascination of the adult type pinball games which have moving objects, blinking lights, etc.
Attempts have been made to simulate adult type pinball games on a small scale. Unfortunately all too often this results in a game which, although it is unsophisticated in operation from the user's point of view, is complex enough to require sophisticated manufacturing procedures which ultimately results in a game being priced out of the range of a large segment of its potential users.
It is known to construct toy amusement devices having targets which generally move from a first position to a second position when struck with an object. These, however, do not incorporate a plurality of intermediate moves of the target. A plurality of intermediate moves would render a game with a totally different sophistication and interest level. It is also known to construct games such as a race horse game commonly located at a booth at a community fair, etc. wherein a plurality of players attempt to each strike an object associated with their individual horse, etc. a finite number of times to move their object from a start line to a finish line in a shorter time than the other players. These types of games of course require the space of a large booth, the attention of a coordinator and more than one player to make the game interesting.